Top Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

I believe that the power of life and death comes from what you speak daily. My mom came to me one day and told me about how with every single word you speak can change someone’s life and even your own. At first I thought my mom had gone off the deep end, but then I began to delve into the power she had presented to me. My simple motto now is “Speak positive, be positive. Speak negative, be negative.”

When I would get sick or have anything little wrong with me like a hangnail, paper cut, or bruises, I would constantly be saying things like my hand hurts, I’m sore, my neck hurts, this hurts, that hurts, blah blah blah, etc… Well now anytime I have a stomach ache or if something hurts, I just simply say to myself my stomach does not hurt, and I quit thinking about it and it will go away.

I get so tired of hearing people constantly complaining about life and hearing all kinds of negative statements come from people’s mouths. It’s really annoying; that’s why I quit. I have this one woman that works with me that is consistently late for work, and trust me she has an excuse. Instead of working to her fullest, she says she can’t do this or that because her jaw hurts, she has a headache, her stomach hurts, and I could go on and on literally. Hearing that all the time makes me want to scream! How can people be so negative? I stand there and think to myself, “I never have this much going on, I don’t stay sick all the time like these people.” Which brings me back to my point, if you stay positive and speak positive then I promise you that at least half of your problems will be eliminated.

Every morning before I go out the door, I have a paragraph that I speak out loud to get my day started. Here’s how it goes:

“Today I am blessed. My family is happy, loving, and blessed. My family is a family of prosperity and because we love God and obey His word, He says He will give us the desires of our heart. Today I will be a blessing to others and watch my tongue to make sure I do no harm to anyone with my mouth or actions. I will control my anger at all times and at all cost. Today I will not say anything negative to anyone. Only positive and uplifting thoughts will come out of my mouth. Thank you God for putting a smile on my face and peace and joy in my heart.”

Ever since I have started speaking this, I have had a better attitude, been nicer to people, and enjoyed life. I believe that everyone should tap into the power of their spoken words.

Essay of the Week

A chance encounter in a coffee shop introduced writer Rachel Richardson to a man who had many stories to tell. Ms. Richardson came to understand that everyone has a story, and our lives can be enriched by listening to the stories of others.Click here to read her essay.